Our Happy Ending
by hayleynymphadora
Summary: The sequel to my other SwanQueen story, Make My Wish Come True, Regina and Emma start to raise a three week old Henry together after Regina's spell was cast on Storybrooke to turn him back into an infant. Regina tries to gain the love and acceptance of the Charming's, and Emma discovers the joys of finally being a mother to their son. SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a continuation of Make My Wish Come True, the SwanQueen christmas fic I wrote. In case you haven't read that, i'll try to explain the spell that Regina cast as quickly as I can.**

**Henry goes back to being an infant in order for Regina and Emma to raise him together (with his consent) because Regina and Emma have fallen in love and it was Regina's christmas present to Emma. She could see how miserable Emma was, having missed all of Henry's firsts. Therefore, this story is about their journey in raising him, and Regina's journey in trying to gain acceptance from Snow and Charming as well as the rest of the town.**

**I hope you like it!**

**Review for me, please!**

**~~hayleynymphadora**

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Our Happy Ending

A SwanQueen Fanfiction

Chapter 1:

Regina and Emma sat side by side on the couch, leaning against each other for support. Emma had a baby Henry in her arms, and she was terrified about it.

"Am I holding him right?" she worried.

"You're fine, Emma," Regina reassured her with a warm smile.

"I don't want to drop our kid,"

"You're not going to drop him!"

Conversations like these had been happening for the past hour or so.

Regina let out a huge yawn, covering her mouth. Emma noticed it immediately.

"You should get some rest, Regina. That spell must have you so worn out…"

The mayor shook her head. "I'm fine, Emma, honestly. You worry way too much. It's you who should be sleeping."

"Are we already going to start this? It's only been a few hours."

Regina let out a small laugh and remained silent for a while, watching as their son grinned up at them, his grip tight on Regina's pointer finger. He seemed very intrigued by it. He was only three weeks old, but he seemed so content wrapped up in his little blue blanket, with both of his mommies happily holding him.

Out of the blue he started fussing, tears swelling up in his eyes. Emma panicked and handed him to Regina quickly. "I broke him!"

Regina laughed again, "You did not break him, now damn it Emma, just relax and hold your son."

"He doesn't want me! He's crying!"

"He's _hungry_," Regina rolled her eyes with a smile then paused before saying, "Why don't you try breast feeding?"

Emma's eyebrows skyrocketed. "Why don't I try what?!"

"Well I obviously can't do it, I'm not the one who gave birth to him—my body isn't ready for that. But yours is…so maybe you could try breast feeding him. If not, we'll have to go to town to get formula because we don't have any…" Regina reasoned. Emma still stared at her like she was the craziest woman on the planet.

"I can barely hold the kid the right way and now you want me to feed him with my boob? He was twelve like…a few hours ago, this seems awkward."

"Emma just feed your son. Are you going to be like this every day?" Regina grew sick of Emma's melodramatics, but not really. It was just too cute how worked up Emma got over the littlest things. Emma sighed.

"Fine. Unhook my bra for me, will you?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. They had never gotten that far, even if they weren't exactly doing _that_. Slowly, Emma leaned forward and Regina lifted the back of her shirt, expertly un-hooking her simple black bra with a quick twist.

Emma froze for a second. "I don't know how to do this…"

"Just lift your shirt and let him feed. It's natural, Emma, you don't have to do anything but hold him."

"That was hard enough to begin with…" she mumbled, lifting the front of her shirt only enough so that Henry could reach her. He fed for a few moments and Emma crinkled her eyebrows. Regina waited for her to say something, and when she didn't, said,

"Well…?"

"It's weird," Emma squirmed and Regina moved her arm out of the way, trying to help her be more comfortable.

"Does it hurt?"

"Sort of…but not really…it just feels weird."

Seconds later Henry started crying again and Emma tried to get him to feed once more but he declined.

"Great! That's just great. I can't hold him right and now my boobs aren't good enough for him," She turned her head and pressed it into Regina's shoulder with a groan.

Regina sighed. "Stop fussing, dear, you're worse than Henry."

She looked up and Regina gave her a light kiss on the lips. "You are fine. We are fine. It takes some getting used to but you are doing so well. I'm proud of you for trying to begin with. Now, put your breasts back in your shirt, maybe go and shower, and then we can go into town to get him some food. But be quick because I'm not sure he can wait much longer for formula…"

Emma gave Regina another quick kiss before handing Henry to her and making her way up the stairs towards the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes as quickly as she could and stared at herself in the mirror. Her stretch marks were horrible, and she felt fat. How could Regina be into her? This was not sexy even a little bit. She scowled. After a very quick shower and putting on some decent clothes (which barely fit because of the baby weight, irritating her to no end), she made her way back downstairs, only to find Regina on the couch, her own shirt lifted up, with Henry suckling her breast.

There was a huge grin on her face as she held Henry close to her, rubbing his back in slow circles. Though Emma found it adorable and sweet, she couldn't help but question it.

"I thought you couldn't…?"

"I can't," Regina responded. "But he needed something to keep his mouth busy and we don't have pacifiers or anything around the house yet."

"Way to incorporate everything into your little spell, 'Gina,"

"Well, I didn't think that far ahead, Emma." She slowly took Henry away from her breast and pulled her shirt back down into place, tucking it in. Henry did not take very kindly to the motion. She bounced him up and down. "Oh, baby, don't cry, Henry, come on now…"

She handed him to Emma and Emma took him, hesitantly. He stopped crying almost immediately and Regina's eyes widened. "You see? He likes you more already." She put on a coat and a hat. "Are you ready to see just how well my spell worked? It'll be a test. We need lots of baby stuff, so we'll be out for the majority of the rest of the day. If you're too tired you can stay home…"

"You're tired to, so just shut up," Emma said, putting her own coat on and a hat. Regina used magic to fashion a carrier for Henry and Emma just stared. "Why can't you just do that for some formula?" she demanded.

"I just used the last of my magic for the day," she stated, sounding drained.

"Oh, so there's a limit?" Emma was genuinely curious but Regina took it as sarcasm.

"There is when I'm already too exhausted to function. It's a miracle I could get the carrier or you would've had to hold him the entire time—I know you're not too keen on doing that… you'll get better as time progresses. It is your first day." She fastened Henry into the carrier and went to pick it up but Emma stepped in.

"Um, would you mind if I carry him?" she wondered.

Regina was a little surprised, but handed the carrier to Emma. "Sure, do you think you can manage the weight right now, though?"

"About as well as you can," she defended.

"If he gets too heavy—"Regina worried that Emma was too anxious to try the whole "mothering" thing and was about to bite off a little more than she could chew.

"I'll let you know," Emma finished with a reassuring eye roll. "Damn you're protective."

"Only of you and Henry, dear," Regina admitted.

Eventually, they made it out the door and into the cold and crisp late January air. Emma, meanwhile, as Sheriff and frequent detective, had to question Regina's concern for her. She had said earlier that Henry was three weeks old—the same age he was when Regina had originally adopted him. If he was three whole weeks old, why did Emma's body look and feel like she had just given birth the day before? She voiced this to Regina and got the response,

"The spell was only cast yesterday, dear, so it's natural to be in discomfort for a while."

Emma placed her free hand into Regina's, seeking warmth and companionship. "And you? What effect did the spell have on you?" she couldn't help but wonder.

"I will be utterly exhausted due to the strength of it all, but will essentially be fine, as will you. I promise."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it,"

From his carrier, all warm and snug under his blankets, Henry made a sound that Emma took as a sign of agreement.

Things were peaceful and silent for a while as they walked towards Emma's Bug. It was parked down the road (god only knows why) and it was quite far down the road. Further than Emma would have liked. Once the couple and their newborn passed Granny's, things started to get hectic. Apparently almost everybody in the town was residing there at this particular moment on this particular day. No one ever said Regina was good with luck while casting spells; she usually just took her chances. All of this hustle and bustle might be too much at once, though. She gritted her teeth and prepared herself for the worst.

Ruby was the first to spot them and they were greeted with a huge smile as she rushed over towards them; her eyes lit when she spotted Henry. "There's the happy couple! When you guys didn't leave the house for three weeks I was worried—we all were—can I see him?!" she crouched down so that her face was in Henry's line of vision and grinned. "He has your eyes, Em!"

Emma smiled nervously, taking in how Ruby had referred to them as "the happy couple", as if they had just gotten hitched. She forced herself not to get too ahead of the game. "Yeah, I guess he does," she responded, reminding herself to breathe. It wasn't done without difficulty. She couldn't help but dread to see her parents, and by the tight grip Regina had on her hand she could tell that the Mayor wasn't exactly ready to test her own magic either. It wasn't exactly comforting to realize that Ruby would've been happy for them, spell or no spell—she was one of the few who believed that Regina really was redeeming herself. That being said, she wasn't a good standard for how well the spell had actually worked.

While Ruby played peek-a-boo with Henry, more people filed out of the diner to see what all of the fuss was about. Emma's grip on Regina's hand grew so tight she was worried she might have been leaving a bruise and Regina's knuckles turned white, though her face showed no sign of fear or hesitation. Her expression was very unlike the blonde's, whose was pale and frozen with nerves. Her stomach muscles tightened.

She noted that difference between the two of them—her face was like an open book and Regina's had many layers to uncover in able to unlock true emotion.

"Emma, your parents have been worried sick about you!" Granny sped out the door ahead of most of the others, bustling about to get to the women and their child. "Snow was furious when Dr. Whale insisted you have no company at the house until you and Regina both decided you were comfortable enough to leave—"

Emma's gaze met Regina's in confusion and Regina shrugged, about to open her mouth to whisper an admittance of ignorance—she hadn't a clue what the old woman was talking about. She knew about as much as her lover did. However, before she could speak she was cut off by Killian Jones, a.k.a Captain Hook.

"Your daddy donor has been wanting to see the baby," he informed them, rum thick and strong on his breath.

Regina's expression hardened. "What does Neal want with Henry?" her mother-bear mode had been activated almost immediately.

Emma felt like she had just been slapped with a bad news stick. "Neal?!"

Regina shot her a panicked, silent look, saying she would explain later. Emma couldn't keep acting surprised about all of this obvious news if she wanted to be convincing. Killian shrugged his shoulders, though, unfazed by Emma's sudden outburst.

"Beats me," he answered Regina's earlier question. "But it's bloody annoying the way he goes on about Emma. I think the lad may fancy her."

_Perfect,_ Regina thought to herself. _Just what I need. A pirate and a donor in love with my Emma. Why couldn't I have made that spell just a little more specific? I could've done a better job than this, right?_

"Smile!" a camera flashed and Emma blinked rapidly. Regina's headache was starting to return as she cast her girlfriend a weary look—she knew Emma wasn't keen on pictures, videos, or anything of the sort. Maybe she should have left Emma home with the baby and gotten the supplies from the store by herself. This was a bit too much more than the couple had signed up for—all they needed was some stuff for their child!

Sidney Glass had been the source of the camera flash.

"My apologies," he didn't sound very sorry at all. "You three are front page news!"

_Fantastic._ Emma thought. _You know how much I love attention._

As a crowd started to form, Ruby could sense the family's discomfort.

"Back off, people!" she instructed. "You're overwhelming them—let your Mayor and your Sheriff through peacefully."

Some people listened, but others, like Sidney's faithful reporters, did not. Emma gave Ruby a look of gratitude as she and Regina continued to walk down the street, at a bit quicker pace than was initially intended. Ruby smiled back, knowing they would catch up later.

Regina grew tense from the reporters' constant barrage of questions and Emma was ready to hit someone.

"Mayor Mills, why did you have to stay inside for so long? Were there complications with the pregnancy?"

"Sheriff Swan, will you be turning in your badge in order to stay home and be a mother?"

"Mayor Mills, how are you going to juggle work and family life? Will you be asking Emma to marry you soon?"

Both women's eyes widened hugely.

"Sheriff Swan, is it true you're threatening to arrest Neal for calling Regina a dyke?"

"What?!" Emma had had about enough of this, and just as she was about to say so, someone else did it for her. She sighed a grateful sigh. Usually she and Regina could control this entire crowd of people by themselves no problem. Hell, together they could probably control the entire EnchantedForest. But they were just too tired.

"Back away from them, shame on you!"

"Give the women and their son some space!"

It was Snow and Ruby to the rescue and as the reporters scattered away, Emma noticed that her mother and best friend were accompanied by David and Mr. Gold, as well as Belle.

Emma, who had felt very constricted and claustrophobic moments before, felt that she could finally breathe again. This feeling was short lived when she noticed the expression on her mother's face when she saw Regina and Emma's hands were linked together, lovingly.

"Thank you, Snow," Regina smiled and spoke since Emma couldn't find her words.

After a slight hesitation and staring at the held hands, Snow blinked and looked up at Regina, forcing a small half-smile in return. "Of course," she took a deep breath and swallowed, turning to Henry. "So this is my little grandson!" Her eyes lit up like Ruby's did at the sight of him. He seemed to have that effect on people. "Henry, right?" she asked.

"Yes," Emma finally spoke. "Regina named him—"

"After my father," Regina finished for her with a grin—she couldn't figure out yet if the grin was false or legitimate.

"He's absolutely precious," Snow bent downward and placed a sweet kiss to his forehead as a type of blessing. That had to be a good sign, right? "Would you mind going for a walk with us? We have so much to catch up on."

Henry chose that moment (and he couldn't have chosen a better one, in his mothers' opinions), to remember how hungry he was. Emma rocked him slowly as he whined.

"Well, actually, as much as I'd love to be all "Charmings' reunited" again, because I totally would, we need to buy this kid some food and stuff first," she admitted. "That's sort of the only reason we left the house—"

"But Emma and I would love to catch up with all of you. How does dinner sound? Our place?" Regina interjected the suggestion before Emma hurt Snow's feelings (something very easily done). She wanted to make peace with Emma's family as soon as she could and if this was the only way it could be done, so be it. The spell was supposed to help with some of that, and she supposed it had, considering Emma's parents were seriously talking to her as opposed to yelling. But maybe Regina was still going to have to gain admittance into their family by sheer love and forgiveness; qualities she doubted would be easy to gain, especially after all the history this family had with her, but the past simply could not be changed. She didn't know how to stress that enough. She loved Emma _now._

"Can I bring Granny? She doesn't like to eat alone," Ruby wondered.

"Of course," Regina replied warmly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, our son is very hungry."

Snow, in spite of flinching at the word "our", said in response, "Sure. We'll see you tonight."

"Bye," Emma said awkwardly as she and Regina headed towards the Bug; a fussy Henry in one hand, and Regina gripping the other. They had finally made it and it had taken way longer than expected. Regina crinkled her nose at the sight of it.

"Must we take this death trap on wheels, dear?" she practically pleaded.

Emma rolled her eyes. It had always been a constant battle between the two women how tacky the yellow Bug was and how it never seemed fit for driving—she could see that no spell was going to change that status. "Get in the damn car, Regina."

Regina let out a sigh and helped Emma switch the carrier into a car seat before settling into the driver's seat. Emma shut the back door after buckling Henry in and stopped at the driver's side window in protest. Regina rolled the window down to explain.

"You just had a baby and you think I'm going to let you drive?"

With an irritated mumble, Emma moved to the passenger's seat and Regina turned the car on, about to pull out into the road when Emma asked,

"Do you even know how to drive this thing, Ms. Horse and Carriages?"

"Ha ha. You never cease to amuse me, Ms. Swan," she resorted back to Emma's formal name as punishment, successfully making the woman squirm.

"Good. That's what I'm here for," Emma said.

"Mmm. Among your many other talents," Regina practically purred and damn, was it sexy. Emma raised an eyebrow but tried not to dwell on it too much. They weren't even at that point in their relationship, whether they had a baby together or not was irrelevant.

…Regina was referring to sex, right?

There was a deep silence while Emma processed Regina's intentions and Regina tried to convince herself that the comment was well deserved. Finally, Emma spoke again.

"So what the hell is all of this about Neal being our donor? You couldn't have chosen anyone else in the world?" she seemed very annoyed.

"Well it had to be someone in Storybrooke at least, and if it wasn't Neal then it wouldn't have been Henry, Emma. The two of them share DNA."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

Regina pulled into the store parking lot and shut the car off, turning to look at Emma.

"I know you're still processing things, dear. Hell, so am I, but you have to pretend like you know what everyone's talking about at all times, even if you haven't a clue. That's the only way this spell will persevere. Understand?"

Emma gave a slow nod. "I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed. But I get it—if one of us slips up and they realize they're under a spell—"

"We may as well forget about your family ever accepting me," Regina finished the sentence with a cold, hard truth. "But we won't slip up. We have Henry, we're together, the spell worked, and things will be amazing. You'll see."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 finally up!**

**I don't own Once Upon A Time (if i did, SwanQueen would be VERY VERY canon).**

**Enjoy! **

**Review for me! ~~hayleynymphadora**

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Chapter 2:

Snow paced around her and David's apartment, waiting for him to finish getting ready.

"Not even I take that long to get dressed, David," she called to him.

He called back, "You need to relax, Snow. I thought you were happy for Emma?" he made his way out towards the front door while simultaneously putting on his jacket. Snow stood waiting for him, impatiently tapping her foot. She couldn't believe he was going to play the "be happier for our daughter" card. He of all people knew what true love was, and what Regina and Emma had was NOT it. It just couldn't be.

"I am," she stressed. "I am happy that she's happy I just…wish it didn't have to be with Regina." She said it the nicest way she possibly could. Could she really be blamed, she thought, for being in such a mood? Going to dinner at their daughter's lesbian partner's house wasn't in fact one of their more prosaic activities. Especially when said lesbian partner happened to be the Evil Queen.

David groaned and gave a faint smile, kissing the top of her head lightly. "We've been over this—"

But now that Snow was set off, she wasn't prepared to stop. "It was bad enough when they were just _together_, but now they have little Henry, and I…I just never expected it—Emma's always so noncommittal about things that this was just too big of a step. It's just going to overwhelm her—"

David led Snow out the door while she was ranting, knowing by now how to put up with her when she acted like this, and got her to get into the car. "I think Emma can make her own decisions and we don't need to keep making them for her. She's an adult, Snow; she's not our little girl anymore."

"She was never our little girl," Snow grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself tightly out of a minor insecurity. "She never had time to be ours, and it's all because of the woman she's in love with! This is just so…"

"I know, but we don't need to meddle in her life any more than we already have. We need to trust in Emma and her life choices and we need to support Regina's will to change. Her reign of terror and carnage of our happiness is over. We're not in the EnchantedForest anymore. This is a different world."

"I don't care what world it is, if she's in it, I'm not satisfied." Snow gave him a look that told him he'd better just stop talking and he gave a loud sigh, starting the car and pulling out into the street. It was going to be an interesting night.

. . .

"Our kid is allergic to me, 'Gina." Emma whined, bouncing him slowly to get him to stop crying. She tried to get him to take the bottle again—something he refused to do. "Come on," she complained to the infant. "Henry, I know you're hungry—I don't understand why you won't just take the bottle. It's right here, happily waiting for you!" She pulled him closer and propped him on her hip so she could hold him better. He screamed noisily; completely against putting the bottle in his mouth.

"I can't hear you, dear," Regina called back from the kitchen. Emma moaned in irritation and made her way from the living room to where Regina was; a loud and annoyed Henry was sobbing in her arms as she went.

"If you didn't hear me how do you know I said anything?" Emma had to ask. Regina rolled her eyes, so Emma continued with a plea, "Make him stop!" she complained. "The kid hates me!"

"He does not hate you," Regina said calmly, tossing a salad. "If that were true, he wouldn't have gone looking for you to begin with and we wouldn't be here, in this situation."

"That's all this is? A situation?" the blonde raised an eyebrow, challengingly. She knew she was being unreasonably snappy but she already just couldn't wait for this night to be over. It had been a long enough day as it was and adding her parents to the blow…

"Emma, don't patronize me, I'm tired."

"You think I'm not?! You're the one that invited the whole town to dinner!"

"I did not invite the whole town, and I'm doing this so your parents will finally get used to my presence in your life!" she slammed the salad bowl down a little too forcefully, putting Henry into another fit (not like he had really bothered to end the first one, Emma thought a little bitterly). Emma gave her a glare and walked back into the living room. They could never get along before—she should have expected this sort of thing would happen had they been together for more than a week. Rolling her eyes, she finally got Henry to take the bottle and stop crying and sighed in contentment. The silence was bliss. This mothering thing was going to be harder than she had originally thought. And this relationship with Regina might be she dared to think, even harder.

Regina stared down at the counter and continued to prepare the salad, after opening the oven to check her lasagna—a legendary dish of hers in Storybrooke. She let out an exhausted breath. What she _really_ wanted then was some hard cider and a long night's sleep, but that was a far cry from where she was at the moment. She regretted opening her mouth to the others earlier—even if it was to save Emma's ass. Was it too late to postpone?

There was a crash coming from the next room over, where she knew Emma and Henry were. She dropped what she was doing and paced hurriedly to the living room. Emma swore loudly: a broken glass bowl at her feet, Henry started screaming again, and Regina's hands went straight for her temples, massaging them slowly. The night had only just begun.

. . .

Ruby and Granny, accompanied by Rumple and Belle, made their way up to the door of the big, white manor, passing Emma's dilapidated, yellow Bug on the way inside.

"One of these things just doesn't belong here," Rumple muttered in a sing-song voice. Belle did a double take and had to smile. He was right, of course, the Bug looked like it had no place at Regina's prim and proper fit-for-royalty, and she counted it as a miracle that Regina agreed to drive Emma around in the car to begin with. Maybe they really were in love—though the whole town had a hard time believing it. She supposed it would all come down to tonight. If they were in love they were in love—it worked in mysterious ways, she knew well enough.

Inside the house, Emma had just gotten Henry down for a nap, and he was finally cooperating with her. She gave a surprised grin—maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad after all, and maybe the kid didn't hate her as much as she had thought.

A knock at the door cleared her optimism.

"Yeah, and maybe my parents aren't Snow White and Prince Charming," she mumbled, swinging the door open and forcing a smile. "Regina, they're here," she called behind her. Standing in front of her was Rumple, Belle, Ruby, and Granny. Snow and Charming were just getting out of their car and heading up the walkway behind them. "Hey you guys, come on in…" she pulled the door the rest of the way open and gestured that they all go in front of her.

Awkward hellos were exchanged as they walked past, towards the dining room

"Regina's got the table set and ready," Emma informed them. Once they were out of her sight, Emma dropped her smile, let out a long sigh, and turned around to see her parents. She forced the smile back immediately but Snow bought into her act.

"Regina forcing this dinner against your will?" she asked with a head cock.

Emma rolled her eyes and left the door open, turning to walk away. "It's good to see you too, Mother."

"Emma, don't give me that tone, please, I was only saying—"

"I know what you were saying. Just leave it alone, Snow."

Snow opened her mouth to respond again but David tapped her elbow, telling her to stop for a bit. If she was going to get through to Emma, she realized, she couldn't bombard her with a whole bunch at once. Everything these days had to do with easing into comfort.

They made their way to the dining room just as Regina was walking in, the big wooden bowl of salad in her arms. The others were sitting down and getting comfortable. Emma was getting a headache.

Regina caught her expression immediately and got concerned. "Did I miss something, dear?" she wondered, raising a cautious eyebrow. Emma shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose quickly and tilting her head back before standing up straight.

"No, 'Gina, everything's fine. Really."

Regina couldn't be convinced so easily, especially when Emma shortened her name like that, but she set down the salad bowl, flattened her black skirt, and nodded anyways, not wanting to fuel the fire. She sat down at one end of the table, Emma took a seat at the other end, and everyone else filled in the middle. Henry was in the nursery, fast asleep. It had taken both Emma and Regina in the room to get him that way, and they had a baby monitor hooked up in the kitchen just in case he woke up.

There was a moment of silence before Emma cleared her throat, "Dig in, everyone," she said. Quietly, people followed orders. This wasn't going to be easy to get through.

"How is the little lad?" Rumple broke the silence. "Will we get to see him tonight?"

Emma gave a half-smile. "Maybe," she was hesitant. "Although we just got him to fall asleep…"

Rumple let out a light laugh. "Message understood. Perhaps some other time then?"

"Of course," Regina's voice was warm as she put some apple vinaigrette on her salad and took a small bite. "And he's fine, thank you for asking. Tired and crabby, but otherwise fine."

"Crabby is an understatement," Emma laughed uncomfortably. "It's taking some getting used to."

"But you are getting used to it?" Snow wondered, sounding more accusatory than helpful.

"We don't need your help with it, if that's what you're asking," Emma sounded sharper than she had intended but it seemed to work.

Snow shut her mouth and Regina's eyes widened slightly. "Dear," her tone was warning, slightly. Emma closed her mouth and stared harshly down at her dinner. Any other night she would be devouring Regina's lasagna—it was one of the best things the woman could make—she was just an amazing cook. But on this night Emma was unusually bothered by the littlest things. She knew for a fact it wasn't her period so it had to be her mother. A whole bunch of feelings she had been shoving down about her abandonment, about Snow's hate for Regina, about everything. She couldn't help but be furious and Regina's warning was only going to work for so long tonight, Emma knew. Things were about to get serious.

Belle cleared her throat before saying very politely, "This dinner is wonderful, Regina, thank you,"

"You're welcome any time, dear." She responded.

"Since when are you so nice to people?" Snow demanded impatiently. Regina snapped her head up to look at Snow, swallowing down the immediate anger that rose to her face. She wasn't going to let Snow White get the best of her tonight, as Snow never had. She was changing; she was ready to face this. She was prepared to kill her with kindness, as opposed to ripping her heart out this time.

Emma she noticed, on the other hand. Emma looked ready to serve Snow's head on a platter.

If Regina was much younger and things weren't so different now, she might have been turned on by Emma's sudden rage. She was trying not to be, anyways. Being turned on by Emma's anger at her mother would definitely not be winning Snow's favor.

"She. Is. Changing, Snow. She's changed." Emma said through her teeth before Regina could respond. "Why can't you accept that?"

"This is just a game to her," Snow groaned at her daughter's inability to comprehend. "She's playing you like a piece on her own personal chess board—"

"What could she possibly have to gain by playing me this time?!" Emma demanded, standing up.

"Emma," Regina's voice was a little harder this time. "Emma, please, you're getting carried away, sit down."

"She knows, Emma, she knows this infuriates me and she knows I don't approve."

"Hey, guys, don't talk about her like she isn't here," Ruby interjected. Granny hushed her, telling her it isn't her fight. For once Ruby listened, looking down at her ring-covered hands and braiding and unbraiding her black and red hair out of something to keep her mind at bay.

"Not everything is always about you, Snow! When Regina cast a curse on your land and you had a CHOICE, you had a choice to keep me and stay with me or let me go off by myself and face a whole bunch of dangerous shit in able to beat the odds just so you could stay with your Prince Charming—you made a selfish choice. It was about you! You've never cared about me before so why the hell do you even pretend to care now?!"

"EMMA," Regina's voice rose. "I need to talk to you. Alone. Now." Emma allowed herself to be dragged by her arm out of the dining room and into the hallway. "Excuse us," Regina added to Rumple, Belle, Granny, David, and Ruby over her shoulder.

Once they were out of earshot, Regina let go of Emma's arm and her voice went low and demanding. "What the hell are you two doing? Tonight wasn't supposed to be like-"

"I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you planned,"

"You can be bitter to her but don't you dare turn on me," Regina said, almost at a beg.

Emma pressed her lips together. "She started it."

"I know she did, but you don't have to fight back, Emma—"

"Shouldn't this be the other way around?" she demanded. "Since when do you tell me to do the right thing? You're the one always turned on by revenge,"

God, the woman knew her so well. Regina shoved Emma up against the back wall and pressed her lips against the other woman's fiercely. It was the first passionate kiss they had shared since the spell was cast and it was well needed. "I am," Regina murmured between kisses. "I really am. But I'm trying not to be."

Emma bit down lightly on that sexy scar above the mayor's lip and Regina covered a swoon by immediately burying her head into Emma's shoulder, placing soft kisses into her neck. Emma's knee slid sneakily in between Regina's legs but then she pulled away. "We need to get back out there. Will my arguing with Snow turn you on too much to function?" it was mockery and if it was anyone else Regina would have been humiliated and angry for it. But Emma somehow knew just how to push her buttons without pushing too far.

"I'm sure I'll be fine but try to tone it down, will you? Please. Family shouldn't fight so much."

Emma forced herself not to scoff at the irony (because how can Regina Mills possibly just sit there and tell her not to fight back?!) and rolled her eyes, hands on her hips as she walked back out to the dining room to face the others, leaving Regina behind in the hallway. Regina hesitated with a sigh, realizing that she basically just bricked that wall of Emma's back up herself. Tonight was going horribly and she was coming to the conclusion that it wasn't about to get any better.

Everyone was doing their best not to stare or feel awkward when Regina came back into the room with an apology but she knew they knew she didn't know how to do this.

"Sorry about all that," Emma lied because if they were going to finish the night they might as well try to finish it on a good note, right?

"We understand that you're overwhelmed, Emma, there's no need to be sorry," Belle smiled sympathetically.

Regina bit down on her cheek, wishing the night could be over and wishing she hadn't opened her mouth to begin with. She should just let Emma do all of the talking from now on.

"I'm not overwhelmed, really, I'm just tired, and we're—"

"You're destroyed, Emma, you can barely function," Snow cut in. "Let me stay tonight and watch the baby while you and Regina rest," there was a tone of begging in her voice but it wasn't the usual kindness she spoke with. The women could tell right away that Snow had an ulterior motive.

David stepped in before either woman could answer, "Snow, we've already overstepped our welcome boundary tonight, why don't you just give it a rest?"

"As an apology," Snow piped up, ignoring her husband and looking straight into Regina's eyes. Regina showed no emotion but looked back, trying to figure out Snow's angle. "Please, Regina, it would mean so much to me and you two can use all the sleep you can get, am I wrong?"

Emma chewed her salad slowly, confused as to how quickly things went from bad to possibly worse but superficially okay. _My family is so screwed up,_ she thought miserably.

"Anyways, Emma needs her mother here to help her. She needs a mother figure."

"Oh, are you finally deciding this now?" Emma challenged back automatically.

_There goes that damn wall in action. _Regina shook her head. "Emma, come on," she stood up. "You're tired. Maybe you should just call it a night…"

Emma stood, too annoyed to keep this up. "You're right," She passed by Regina with a quick peck on the cheek and headed out of the dining room, towards the hallway and up the stairs. Regina blinked a few times, her head turned to watch Emma go, silent. After a moment she looked up and as a final resort mustered a, "Dessert, anyone?"

. . .

Once apple crisp was eaten and goodbyes and thanks were said, a shriek was heard through the baby monitor. Snow and Charming were the only two left in the dining room and Regina had neglected to give Snow an answer about staying yet tonight. Before she could even respond to Henry's cry, followed by the shriek there was a crash, and then Emma's cursing. _Why do I have the feeling I'll be hearing that at least three times a day?_ Regina wondered, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath before saying, "Excuse me for a moment," to Snow and Charming and turning to go up the stairs.

"Emma! Get back in bed, I've got Henry—"

Charming swept up the stairs past her, "Don't bother, Regina, I've got him," he offered, stopping only to ask if it was okay with her. She swept a thankful arm in front of her. "Be my guest," she said gratefully, sitting down on the step she was on. Snow sat down next to her.

"If Emma doesn't learn to stop crashing into things, Henry's first word will sooner be vile than something sweet like "mama"."

"Look, Regina. I don't like you."

"Now I no longer have to wonder where Emma got her blunt disposition," Regina responded.

"Let me finish," Snow said impatiently. "I don't like you, I don't like you being with my daughter, and I don't like the fact that you're using her to hurt me. Don't hurt Emma just to get to me."

"You have no idea what this is if you think I'm doing this to hurt you, or Emma-"

"Then who are you—"

"I'm not doing this to hurt anyone! I love her."

"You love her," Snow was disbelieving.

"Yes and I'm one of the few that show her that I do."

Snow stood up, looking as if Regina had slapped her. "What is THAT supposed to mean?"

Regina stood as well. "It means, Snow, that maybe you should spend less time accusing me of inflicting pain upon others and a little more time convincing Emma that you love her and you're sorry for what you did. Because right now, I'm the one she wants not you and I'm the one she's taking comfort in. She was dreading tonight, not because I forced her to do it, but because she knew that all you would do is judge her."

"What game are you trying to play here, Regina, because no one wants to play it."

"For the last damn time, Snow White, I'm not playing any games. I've spent my whole life playing games—"

"Which is why I'm weary of you now and can you really blame me?!"

"I've spent my whole life as a cold, heartless, game-playing bitch and I know that but I'm done with it. I'm in love with Emma and if you think it's a game then fine, because we didn't ask for your permission."

"David!" Snow called up the stairs. "I've had enough of this. I'm done fighting with you tonight."

"Well good because I'm sick of it," Regina crossed her arms over her chest—something she must have picked up from Emma because she never remembered doing it before. David walked down the stairs, cradling Henry in his arms. Henry was smiling up at him and it was so precious that Regina felt guilty for basically kicking them out.

"David we're leaving, get your coat," Snow bossed him.

David lightly kissed Henry's forehead and handed the bundle of joy to Regina, reluctantly. Henry stared at him as he walked the rest of the way down the stairs, refusing to take his sights off of his grandfather. After a moment of pause he turned to Regina.

"Can I stay here tonight, Regina? I'll watch Henry while you and Emma sleep." He offered what Snow had offered earlier and Regina watched as the woman's jaw dropped in protest.

"Really, David, I couldn't ask that of you. You need your rest too…"

"But he only just woke up and you look light you're fighting keeping your eyes open."

_Is my face truly that readable tonight? Perhaps I should just let the man stay…_

"Okay then. If you insist upon staying—"

"I do,"

"I'll prepare the guest room then," she turned on her feet but not before saying, "Good night, Snow," a little more forcefully than was polite. Snow didn't respond; simply slammed the door.

David scratched his head. "I've started something," he mumbled.

"So it would seem," Regina replied a little guiltily.

David shrugged. "She'll get over it. It's not your fault," he reached out towards her. "Here, I'll take Henry," she gave him the baby and went towards the guest room.

"Don't worry about that, Regina, I'll be fine."

"Are you positive?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. I have a kitchen to clean—"

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Go to sleep. The dishes aren't going to grow legs and walk away."

She laughed at his feeble attempt and kissed Henry goodnight.

"Thank you, David," she was genuinely thankful.

"Of course, Regina. Snow may not support your relationship with Emma, but I'm willing to support anything that will make her happy. And if she's truly happy with you, so be it."

Unable to decipher if that was a true compliment, Regina settled for a smile before making her way into the bedroom she shared with Emma. David took Henry into the nursery; the room right next to their bedroom. Emma, she found, was not asleep. Instead she had the bedside lamp on and was staring up at the ceiling. Her head turned when such a beautiful woman entered the room.

"Hello gorgeous," she mumbled. "How's the kid?"

"Henry's fine," Regina reassured her, slipping into pajama pants and a dark blue t shirt before crawling under the covers and staring up at the ceiling with her. "He's stopped fussing, in any case. We won't have to get up for a while."

"Mmm," Emma breathed, turning on her side to face Regina. "Good."

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I lay down and lost all exhaustion," Emma groaned. "It's like I'm too tired to sleep,"

Regina could relate to the feeling.

Emma reached her arm out and wrapped it around Regina's hip, turning her to face her and pulling her closer until their lips were centimeters apart.

"I can't sleep, 'Gina,"

"Then just lay here with me,"

"Okay," Emma whispered, leaning forward and planting a sweet kiss on Regina's lips. Regina kissed her back, lightly, adjusting her body so they could be closer. Emma wrapped a leg around Regina as they kissed once more, intertwining their bodies together—their legs fought for dominance. Regina slid a careful hand up Emma's shirt and held her by the bare back-her long nails dragging light patterns over it. Emma shivered with longing as her lips found Regina's jaw line. The Mayor arched her back and tried to stay silent. When her passionate response made Emma moan she knew with disdain that they needed to relax and quiet down.

Emma eagerly sucked on Regina's neck and Regina big back a sigh before whispering,

"Before we continue, you should know that your father is in the room next door."

Emma's lips stopped immediately and she pulled away a bit- a very slight grip still on Regina's slim body.

"Mood killer," she said with a grimace.

"He insisted upon staying to watch Henry for us- I told him we could handle it."

"So we can sleep?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded in response and Emma felt bad for not being able to rest. "Maybe we should at least try to sleep then," she concluded, reaching behind her to flick off the light.

Regina pulled Emma closer to her as the blonde relaxed in her arms. She used Emma's slow breathing as a pace for her own; their chests touching with each inhale. After many long moments of silence, Emma admitted,

"I still can't sleep,"

"Do I have to sing you a lullaby, dear?" Regina raised an eyebrow sarcastically even though she knew Emma couldn't see it.

"Don't mock me, I don't see you sleeping either," she paused. "Do you think a lullaby would work?"

Regina scoffed quietly. "I highly doubt it."

Another minute or so of silence passed before Emma had to ask,

"Did you fight with Snow much, you know, after I left the table?"

"…a bit," Regina admitted. "It will be quite a long wait, I fear, if we truly want her acceptance. She's adamant that I'm using you to get to her."

"But that's insane!" Emma protested.

"I'm glad you have that trust in me, Emma, but you didn't live through what I made her suffer. If I were her I can't say I'd trust myself, either."

"That's because you don't trust easily," Emma pointed out.

Regina found her lips in the darkness with slight difficulty, kissing at the corner of her mouth before actually making it to her soft small lips. "I trust you," she said with a small smile.

Emma felt her smile across her mouth and grinned back. "And apparently David, if you're letting him watch Henry,"

Yet another good point, but…

"I thought talking about your father in bed was a turn off?" Regina had to laugh. "I trust him much more than I trust his wife, I'll give you that,"

"'cause of Daniel?" Emma's voice was soft.

"Because of your mother's betrayal, yes. However, I'm no longer in love with Daniel. I'm in love with you," she kissed Emma once more.

"I love you too, Regina,"

"Get some sleep, dear,"

Eventually she did, and Regina followed shortly after.


	3. Chapter 3

**Third chapter up, sorry it took forever, i've been working on a new untitled SQ story that I'm hoping you'll all love (cuz, well, I love it...a lot...and i'm very excited for it...)**

**anyways, this isn't about ****_that_**** story.**

**So...read review and enjoy! **

**i don't own ONCE, no matter how kick ass that would be.**

**~~hayleynymphadora**

* * *

Chapter 3:

Emma stretched and made an unintelligible noise, waking Regina, whom merely fluttered her eyes and stretched out her back.

"Good morning, dear," Regina mumbled.

Emma greeted her with a soft peck on the nose and Regina turned around to check the time—they hadn't moved from their original position from the night before. "Oh my god, Henry and David!" she shot out of bed and left Emma there, dazed and confused with rapidly blinking eyes.

"What about them?! Why, what time is it? Regina!"

But Regina was already half way down the stairs. Emma groaned and sat up slowly. She definitely did _not_ have that kind of energy right away, and she still felt bloated and horrible. For a moment she considered just staying in the bed, but what if something was wrong? Regina seemed frantic. So Emma forced herself out of bed and after Regina, at a much slower pace than she had been going, forgetting to check the clock as she left.

The brunette was spotted in the living room, speaking with David (who was cradling Henry in his arms) while looking extremely guilty for making him do so for such a long time.

"What's up? 'Morning, David." Emma said casually. Regina noticed Emma behind her and automatically started fixing the blonde's bird nest she called "hair". It gave her something to occupy her mind, so she didn't have to feel so guilty. Emma scoffed and muttered, "Perfectionist."

David cracked a smile.

"Good evening, Emma,"

Emma crinkled her eyebrows and spun around to find a clock. "What?!" her quick movement ruined Regina's progress and the Mayor let out a huff of a defeated breath.

"Yes, dear, we've slept the night and day away. It's nearly 6:30…"

"Damn! I didn't think we were THAT tired!"

"I tried to tell you that you needed rest!" David sighed. "Don't worry. I loved spending so much time with Henry."

"I just feel bad, leaving him in your care for so long—"Regina tried to apologize.

David cut her off. "Nonsense, Regina. Don't worry about it."

"Well perhaps we could at least thank you with dinner?" she offered. "You must be starving."

Not wanting to admit he had taken Henry to Granny's and gotten a free meal as long as Ruby could hold Henry, he pondered the question. There was a wince on his face as he rocked Henry back and forth. "I'd love to—really, Regina, you're a great cook—but considering the last thing Snow and I did was fight, I'm thinking I should probably get home to her, or else she might send Grumpy after me or something…it's happened before…" he kissed the top of Henry's head and handed him off to Emma, who froze when he didn't automatically cry. It was a miracle sent from above. "Thank you for letting me spend so much time with my grandson—"

"No, thank you for letting us get some actual rest," Emma interjected.

"Of course, Emma." He put on his coat and was about to step out the door before he caught her eye. "Hey," he added. "Don't worry about your mother. I know she'll come around."

Emma grimaced at the reminder of her mother's anger, David realized he may have made things worse and left before he could add to it, and Regina kissed Emma's ear.

After a moment of watching Henry snooze so peacefully, Emma's stomach growled loudly and unattractively. An amused smile spread to Regina's lips. "Hungry,dear?"

"Ugh. Starved!" Emma dramatized. They headed out towards the kitchen where Regina found that the previous night's dishes and materials had been "magically" done and put away. She was flabbergasted at David's kindness towards her, though she imagined he must have been bored out of his mind and had to find _something_ to do to keep himself occupied all night and day.

"Why is David being so hospitable?" she wondered aloud, opening the freezer as Emma sat Henry down in a big baby carrier on the table and rocked him slowly back and forth.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "He's not Snow, Regina."

"That's true enough, but he didn't like me any more that she ever did. In fact he may have hated me more. I know for a fact that had she not wanted to spare my life so many times he would have killed me the first chance he got."

Emma didn't know how to respond to that, so she merely shrugged her shoulders slowly while Regina started to prepare what looked like chicken and rice—dragging spices out of the cupboard that Emma wasn't even aware existed in this lifetime or any other.

"People change, Regina, just look at you,"

That wasn't _really _a good enough answer but Regina supposed she'd have to settle for it for the time being. She couldn't help but ponder David's true intentions. Trust wasn't something she just gave away. Only to Emma—that was all impulse and uncontrolled emotions so much stronger than she had ever felt with Daniel that she knew they had to be real.

But David…Maybe he was spying to see how much the Evil Queen had really changed? Why not? It wasn't as if the whole town wasn't dying to know and who better than Prince Charming to tell his loyal subjects?

"'Gina?" Emma's innocent voice snapped Regina out of her reverie.

"Yes?"

"If you're not careful, you're gonna burn yourself," she pointed out.

Regina looked down curiously and found that yes her hand was indeed closer to the burner on the stove than it should have been. She moved it casually, finishing thawing the chicken and adding some more seasoning to it. Emma's mouth watered and her stomach growled again. She continued to rock Henry but watched Regina carefully. The woman seemed very into her thoughts. Emma reveled in it—unsure she would ever see the Mayor's head in the clouds again. A few minutes later and Emma's gaze still hadn't moved. Eventually she was caught staring however Regina continued to stare down at the dinner she was preparing.

"Take a picture, dear," she smirked, her voice holding a tone of slight annoyance.

"You okay?" Emma dared to ask.

"Of course," she was such a good liar—except to Emma, because of her "super power", as Henry used to call it, to be able to tell when someone's telling the truth.

"Mmmhmmm," Emma's tone was condescending.

"What?" Regina put a cover on the rice and got defensive.

Emma nodded her head towards the window. "It's just that it's snowing like hell outside, and like twenty minutes ago it wasn't."

Regina merely shrugged her off. "I wasn't aware that it snowed in hell?" she mocked. "Besides, it's cold and it's January. Snow is to be expected at this time of year…"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're pissed about something and you're manipulating the weather," she accused. "This wouldn't be the first time…" she thought back to one of the first nights she spent with Regina—she was on her way over to the Mayor's house when it had started storming and she had wondered at the time if she was the cause of it.

The wind outside picked up and snow whipped at the window harshly, rattling it. Emma looked from Regina, to the window, back to Regina, her eye skeptical. "Seriously, chill, some people have to work today—"

"It's 7:00 at night," Regina retaliated.

_Way to pull things off track_

"Some people have to get home tonight," Emma changed her angle. "Regina, come on, you're causing a blizzard…" she stopped rocking Henry, who had fallen asleep, stood, and walked towards her girlfriend, taking her wrist softly. "Tell me what's up," she begged. "Don't shut me out."

"Oh, Emma, don't pretend you never shut people out—"Regina defended herself by placing blame.

"Don't make this about me," Emma shot back. "I know you don't like it when you show emotion or let anyone in because you're afraid of getting hurt and I get that, I've been there. But it's just me. So have a heart, Tin Man, don't be such a robot…"

"I am not a…what did you call me?"

Emma blinked, "Um, a robot?"

"Before that,"

She knew she was getting off topic but she wasn't about to stand for being called something she didn't understand. Emma was very confused—she didn't expect for Regina not to get the Wizard of Oz reference. She had to remember that Regina was from a different time; A different _world._ There was probably a lot that she wouldn't know about that Emma did, and vice versa.

"Oh, it was a reference to a movie. The Tin Man…in the Wizard of Oz, he doesn't have a heart," Emma mumbled, wishing she hadn't said anything at all.

Regina pursed her lips, the storm outside picking up again. "Ah. So what you're saying is I don't have a heart,"

Emma groaned. She had always suffered from foot-in-the-mouth syndrome and she had to remember she hadn't been with Regina for very long. It might have been a wake up call—that they need to get to know each other better. "No, I'm saying not to NOT have a heart,"

"Your logic is faulty,"

"Isn't it always?" she sounded exasperated.

As much as Regina tried, she couldn't stop the smile from forcing up the corners of her lips. It seemed that Emma had that affect on her. The winter blizzard slowed to a light sprinkling and she looked up into Emma's gorgeous blue eyes, feeling guilty but knowing that if she wanted to make a relationship work—if she wanted to be loved—she needed to start opening up to Emma more.

"…your parents hate me and always will. I fear that this isn't going to go the way we're hoping it will and I don't want you to get your hopes up—at least not right away. There will be a lot of fighting before there is acceptance. You know that, don't you?"

Emma's head nodded, slowly.

"You don't seem convinced, dear," Regina's tone dropped slightly.

"My mother is Snow White, Regina. She's nice to everyone,"

Regina let out a small laugh. "She wasn't always that way…" her eyes widened in realization and amusement. "You never read Henry's book, did you? I would have thought after hearing him talk about it twenty four hours of the day you would have at least thought about flipping through its contents…"

Emma stared down at her hands, picking at her thumbnail. "I don't know," she mumbled, hugging her arms in close to herself. Regina recognized this as a sign of discomfort. "You know I didn't finish high school…reading just isn't my strongest talent,"

"But surely you can read, I've seen you do it," Regina tried to give a comforting smile. It helped, a bit, but not much. Emma turned a little defensive and Regina cursed herself. She needed to be better at loving Emma; better at making her feel welcome in her own home.

"Well, yeah, I _can _read, of course. I just don't love doing it, that's all."

After finishing preparing dinner and fixing everything on two plates for them, Regina nodded slowly and sat Emma's food down in front of her. "Well after dinner how would you like it if you and I sat down for a while and I told you a story? Henry's sleeping and from the way David was holding him all smiley like that I can imagine he was up for a while. He'll be out cold; he always was a heavy sleeper. He was fussy, mind you, but sleepy."

A bite on her fork, Emma put it in her mouth and chewed, an amazing taste suffusing her mouth. "How do you manage to cook like this?!" she lost what she was going to say before she took the bite.

Cheeks turning slightly flushed, Regina gave a small smile, "You flatter me, Miss Swan. I know I'm not the best cook,"

Emma didn't answer, just took another bite and hid a moan of happiness. "Yeah, right" she finally said. "…I'd love to hear a few of those stories."

_This is it,_ Regina thought happily, her heart leaping. _This will be my happy ending. This relationship will work, we'll learn more about each other, and I'll change into a better person, all thanks to the Savior, my Savior, and my Emma._

That night Regina felt something she rarely ever had time for any more.

She felt hope, and it felt incredible.

. . .

Regina lay on the couch in the living room, her legs wrapped around Emma's body, which was leaning up against Regina's. Emma held Henry in her arms, bouncing him lightly yet he continued to sleep soundly. She seemed to be getting used to holding him—or, at least, a little more used to it. Regina's hands got intertwined in Emma's hair, French braiding it slowly, piece by piece. Any other time, Emma would wince at somebody making a big deal about her hair. But Regina wasn't just "somebody".

"What is it with your fascination with my hair?" she couldn't stop herself from asking.

Regina laughed lightly. "Would you like the most truthful answer?"

"Well that was the general idea…"

"I've never seen hair so beautifully blonde and wavy. It's just soft and lush. You don't mind if I play with it?"

Taken aback by her question Emma simply shook her head. "No, no I don't…I don't mind…" she didn't want to admit that she really loved when Regina was touching her in any way, let alone playing with her hair. Regina continued to braid, gently, with the touch of a lover. Emma could not get enough of it, so luckily for her Regina didn't stop. She was so careful with it—not wanting to pull too hard. Emma had never seen her so kind.

The brunette thought about how she was going to start her story, took a sip of apple cider (not hard, tonight, but still homemade) then set the glass down and resumed braiding Emma's hair. She took a slow, deep breath before beginning her tale.

"I was the daughter of a Prince," she opened with it and immediately thought she could have started with something different but it was too late now. "Well, I _am_ the daughter of a Prince. Prince Henry."

Emma fluttered her eyes. When Regina had asked her if she wanted to hear a story, she wasn't expecting her to reveal her own story. She relaxed in Regina's arm, recognizing it was going to be a long night and getting a little excited about it. Regina was actually opening up to her, and how many chances was Emma ever going to get to hear this?

"My mother,"

"Cora," Emma said in a slight tone of pure loathing.

"Cora," Regina agreed, with less hate in her voice. There wasn't much love in her voice, but there wasn't nearly as much hate as Emma's tone implied. "She was the miller's daughter. She came into power by striking a deal with Rumplestiltskin, who taught her to spin straw into gold and win my father's hand, due to making the kingdom rich." She took a calming breath and unbraided Emma's hair so she could re-do it. She knew, with some nervous nature, that she would soon have to start talking about Daniel. She voiced as much to Emma in warning.

"That's fine, Regina, I know he's a major role in your life," Emma said matter-of-factly.

Regina reminisced for a moment, remembering his smile, his touch. The excitement she felt when she snuck away to be with him. The way he made her feel so alive. But he was long gone, she told herself, and she really was in love with Emma. She loved Emma so very much. "Yes, he was. He was the stable boy, Daniel. We fell in love almost immediately. Remember that this was back when I had a heart and I was kind."

Emma rolled her eyes at this, for Regina was being kind to her.

"We had to sneak around, most of the time. My mother was what you like to call "a piece of work". Like what you used to call me, "a hard ass"." She felt Emma laugh against her stomach. "She was strict, she was proper, and she was practiced in magic. Of course, she of all people should have understood my love for Daniel but she was too involved in the regal way of life. A lady never misses tea time, and all of that nonsense. She detested that I took riding lessons anyways, imagine what she would have done, had she known of my love for Daniel. She had higher expectations of me than a stable boy.

"One day while I was riding and spending time with Daniel, a young girl flew by on a wild steed, screaming for help. Being the innocent little saint I used to be, I got upon my own horse, chased after her and saved her, finding out her name was Snow White. I comforted her…hugged her…"

Emma could not in a million years imagine Regina hugging her mother, nor could she imagine Snow being younger than Regina. They were all the same age, which Emma thought odd but okay, considering it meant she could be with Regina.

"Not long after, King Leopold came to visit, explaining that Snow White was his daughter and thanking me for saving her with a marriage proposal. Too stunned to respond for myself, my mother accepted for me. My need to leave home grew stronger by the second. How could I possibly marry the King? I was in love with Daniel and I hated my mother for forcing me his hand. For the first time in my life I was terrified.

"I ran to Daniel in tears that night and explained my plight. I pleaded with him to take me away from that horrible place. He gave me a ring, I accepted a future with him and we planned to run away together. He….Daniel was kissing me when Snow walked into the stables. She was concerned and upset with me. She asked me,

""Why were you kissing that man when you are supposed to marry my father?""

"I had to explain to her that what Daniel and I had was true love—that I didn't love her father. I made her swear she wouldn't say a thing to anybody about the relationship, warning her that bad things would happen if she did. The night finally came that Daniel and I were to leave; however my mother caught up with us and blocked our path. She tricked us, ever so cruelly to a point where I never forgave her. She actually embraced me, and told me how happy she was and accepting of our relationship. When she went over towards Daniel, I assumed she was going to embrace him as warmly as she had me—the warmth and love I was sure she was capable of—and instead she ripped out his heart. I held his collapsed body in my arms and screamed for his mercy while she crushed his heart to dust."

Regina was aware she couldn't stop—not now, after she had come so far. It hurt, to talk about Daniel, to remember this night so vividly. She could practically still feel his cold body against her face. Her heart ached remembering her mother's harsh words, and her cruel actions. It was the first day of her life she had ever felt such pain. It was the day she realized that people could be truly evil. Emma sat, very into the story, and noticed that Regina had stopped braiding her hair and merely started stroking it, letting her long locks fall into and out of her hands.

"My mother, being as one-track-minded as she was, believed she was doing what was best for me, and my future as queen. I later found out that she had set up the day I saved Snow White's life, aware of the Queen's early passing and King Leopold's search for a wife."

She paused as she let a few tears slip down her face. Emma heard her inhale with a sniffle. "It's okay, 'Gina... You don't have to tell me everything about it; I know it's hard for you."

Regina wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. "It is hard," she agreed. "But I do need to continue. You need to know, and I know you want to. Besides that…I want to tell you."

Emma didn't argue because Regina was right. Regina was usually always right.

"I shoved my grief aside, as hard as that was. During a fitting for my wedding dress, Snow told me how beautiful I was, and said what a good mother I had for understanding my love for Daniel. Apparently she was under the impression I would be marrying him as opposed to the king." Regina scoffed quietly, sounding extremely bitter. "In my dreams, I would've been marrying Daniel. I asked Snow what she meant by her words, and she confessed her betrayal to me—she told my mother about my relationship with Daniel out of fear that I would lose my mother as she lost hers. Superficially, I was calm, and I lied to her; told her that Daniel had run away and I was happy to marry her father, in order to spare her feelings. On the inside I was furious for what she had done. Daniel was my life—my existence, my everything and he was murdered for unfair reasons and what had I ever done to deserve such a fate?

"I tried to escape before the wedding; mother caught me and ruthlessly brought me back to hell where I was to stay before I got married. I stole mother's spell book and summoned Rumplestiltskin who gave me a mirror, explaining that I would owe him a favor one day but the mirror, if I shoved mother into it, would take her to another world, unharmed. I didn't want to hurt her; …Emma, I never wanted to hurt anybody…I just wasn't prepared for an arranged marriage with King Leopold. I had lost the love of my life and I was in mourning."

"Why would she force you to do something like that after she took away the one thing you loved the most?" Emma couldn't wrap her thoughts around it. She understood Cora was evil, but didn't get how her mind worked.

Regina seemed amused by the question; half tempted to simply say, "Because my mother was a heartless bitch" but decided against it, going for a more deserving answer. "Because all she ever wanted was to see me win. However my mother and I differed somewhat in our definition of "winning". To me, at the time, winning was out of the question after Daniel's murder. By "winning" she meant she wanted me to rule—wanted me to be the Queen—she wanted what she thought was best for me. Really, if you look at her point of view, her intentions were good. Then again, aren't everybody's? My only ill intention was to seek vengeance. For something your mother did to me."

Henry was fast asleep by now, and Emma sat him down in his carrier again, which was on the coffee table next to the couch. After this, Emma turned her body around so that her stomach was touching Regina's and looked up into the older woman's beautiful brown eyes, which were glassy with tears. "She didn't mean to do that to you, Regina. Haven't we all suffered enough? Daniel has been avenged. The fight is over."

Regina looked up to stop the tears and shook her head. "You have no idea what I've done to her. What I've done to so many people. The pain and suffering I've caused. They'll never forgive me now, no matter how much you do. I'll never be loved. I was wrong before, Emma, it is not better to be feared than loved. All I've ever wanted is to be loved."

"Hey," Emma let her hand caress the Mayor's face, softly. "I love you. In time, they'll forgive you; they'll love you, too."

"And how can you be so sure?"

Emma swallowed and turned back around, taking hold of Regina's arms and wrapping them around her. She played with Regina's fingers, softly. "Because if I can forgive you, anyone can. I'm not really a forgiving person, whether my mom is Snow White or not be damned. I got into a lot of trouble when I was with Neal, he broke my heart, left me pregnant alone and in jail and I know how it feels not being able to trust anybody. Believe me, I do."

There was a few minutes' gap of silence before Regina realized that was all Emma was willing to say at the moment, about her past with Neal.

_Baby steps, Regina. That's all everything with Emma will have to be—baby steps._

She gripped Emma's hands and whispered, "So many people have been killed by my selfishness—"

"Shh," Emma whispered back. "What you used to be doesn't bother me like it does my parents, Regina. Don't you understand that I love you now, not then? You're not that person anymore. I don't care how many people you've killed."

Shock filled Regina's head. "I don't understand how Snow White's daughter could possibly love the Evil Queen," she admitted.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Easy. Because you're not the Evil Queen; you're Regina Mills and I am definitely not my mother."

Regina could not be more thankful that Emma was right.


End file.
